Cross-Border Legal Issues

For many years, Wada & Watanabe has advised both Japanese companies that are expanding overseas and foreign companies that are expanding their presence in Japan.

For those Japanese companies doing business abroad, we obtain advice through ILN member firms concerning local law, coordinating smoothly with local attorneys based on our lengthy experience handling cases in which Japanese companies have become entangled in disputes or lawsuits in the U.S.

When foreign companies from the U.S., Europe, and other parts of Asia come to Japan, we analyze issues that arise concerning relevant laws and regulations such as the Company Law, the Antimonopoly Law, and the Foreign Exchange Law, and we provide advice and draft documentation concerning a wide range of legal matters, from establishing a subsidiary or branch, to corporate legal practices, labor issues, intellectual property, and dispute resolution. We have earned the trust of our clients concerning labor issues and dispute resolution, which are said to be Achilles heels for many foreign companies in Japan. Our firm prepares all documentation and provides explanations and reports concerning procedures and the legal system in both Japanese and English.

Japanese Companies Doing Business Abroad

• Drafting of contracts, advice concerning negotiations
• Providing advice concerning dispute resolution
• Dealing with local laws and litigation abroad by cooperating with local law firms through the ILN network

Foreign Companies from the U.S., Europe, and Asia Doing Business in Japan

• Assisting with the establishment of subsidiaries and branch offices, and related procedures under laws such as the Antimonopoly Law and the Foreign Exchange Law, the preparation of meeting minutes and the like, and commercial registry procedures
• Negotiations for alliances with Japanese companies, and the preparation, analysis, and negotiation of various types of agreements such as distributor agreements and license agreements.
• The purchase or acquisition of shares in Japanese companies, and analysis and procedures under relevant laws such as the Antimonopoly Law and Foreign Exchange Law
• Due diligence
• Trading partner bankruptcy and debt collection